Last Sunday, I dropped my jeep off a cliff with me inside!
Here's the story of how it happened:

Me and two other jeepers were enjoying a trip around the Farmingdale area near the badlands, but part of a cliff collapsed under my jeep.

First, here's the starting point. The red area is the part of the cliff that collapsed under me. I think the close side tires were barely within this area, but that caused the jeep to start rolling that direction, and there was nothing to stop it:

The next three pictures show just how big a fall that was:

After rolling and landing right side up, the throttle was damaged and stuck wide open, making the jeep take off again. It started to climb the cliff again, but rolled over, which stopped it. This picture shows the path of my jeep in red:

I was semi-conscious, but with some help, I climbed out of the jeep myself, and walked over to the other jeep for the trip out. Where it finally came to a stop:

Thanks to the legendary toughness of the jeep, I survived, and, amazingly, the truck can actually still move under its own power. The jeep will be a total loss, but insurance will pay off the loan and I'll get a new one.

I got a broken back, two broken ribs, and a gash on the head, but I lived thanks to the seat belt, the roll bars, and the others out there with me. I should make a full recovery within a year.

Jaan

ouch! a broken back! i hope you don't become a quadriplegic ... and one year... are you in a wheelchair the whole time?

i feel for you man, but it could've been much worse. just take it easy, pick up a few hobbies and you'll be good in no time ...

now pix of your injuries! haha

Kaseas

broken back?? that's serious....

ocalhoun

Kaseas wrote:

broken back?? that's serious....

Yeah, it is, but the spinal cord was not damaged, so I'll recover. I'm already walking around, I just have to wear a brace the whole time.

deanhills

ocalhoun wrote:

Kaseas wrote:

broken back?? that's serious....

Yeah, it is, but the spinal cord was not damaged, so I'll recover. I'm already walking around, I just have to wear a brace the whole time.

Amazing that you came out of it alive! Do you think that it would not have been the case with other vehicles, and that you were lucky that it had been a Jeep?

Do you have bad back pain? All of it has to be a huge trauma to your system. Really sorry to hear about this. But am glad that you feel so positive about your recovery. That is already more than half the battle won. Have you been booked off for a while?

watersoul

Oh my gosh thats a pretty incredible post!
Really sorry to hear of your injuries but glad you'll heal in time.
I know it doesn't maybe seem it with the pain but I think you are one lucky guy, and what an amazing story to be able to tell when you're old and gray!
Best wishes and good luck mending quickly, thank goodness for insurance eh

hamza1122

I was going to say "it doesn't look that high" but then after seeing the photos i was like o..kk..i guess it was. MAn, that was a big fall hope you get better.

Josso

That was lucky, glad your ok man - that looks although it could have been a lot worse.

Cddhesh

Oh dam! that was very serious accident case,You are lucky to get out of such accident. Hope you are fine. broken back is really very serious take right treatment first only else you will fall in trouble later.
Hope your government will notice this incident and will take necessary steps to put compound near that cliff so that similar incident is not taking place with some other person.

ocalhoun

Cddhesh wrote:

Oh dam! that was very serious accident case,You are lucky to get out of such accident. Hope you are fine. broken back is really very serious take right treatment first only else you will fall in trouble later.
Hope your government will notice this incident and will take necessary steps to put compound near that cliff so that similar incident is not taking place with some other person.

They won't be doing any such thing... This was off road, in the middle of a nature preserve. (It was legal for me to be there... I think.) The most you could ever hope for would be a 'danger: unstable cliff' sign near it.

deanhills wrote:

ocalhoun wrote:

Kaseas wrote:

broken back?? that's serious....

Yeah, it is, but the spinal cord was not damaged, so I'll recover. I'm already walking around, I just have to wear a brace the whole time.

Amazing that you came out of it alive! Do you think that it would not have been the case with other vehicles, and that you were lucky that it had been a Jeep?

Do you have bad back pain? All of it has to be a huge trauma to your system. Really sorry to hear about this. But am glad that you feel so positive about your recovery. That is already more than half the battle won. Have you been booked off for a while?

Yes, I was lucky it was a jeep: it is built sturdy enough to not disintegrate upon landing, and is the only vehicle I know of that comes with a stock roll cage. If not for that cage, I'd be dead for sure, crushed under the weight of the jeep.

Bad pain? Sometimes, but they prescribed some nice pills. They're addictive, but they make the pain go away nicely.

mwsupra

Glad to hear you're ok. You'll probably be staying away from cliffs for a while to come I'm sure

Zombie

That's scary you actually drove that jeep off a cliff =O

Afaceinthematrix

Oh my God dude! I'm so glad to hear that you're alright. I wish you a full recovery. Good luck with the rehab exercises that you're given.

jylan

That is an amazing story ocalhoun, must have been a near death experience. So glad that you didn't get hurt any more than that. Are you in hospital atm?

SpellcasterDX

That's a pretty amazing story. Glad to hear you're okay. So Jeeps are as tough as they say then. Awesome.

Hope you make a full recovery fast.

Nick2008

Wow, that's one beat up jeep there. And you say it still drives?

Very lucky you're still alive, it could have been much worse. A jeep saved your life, that could make a good sig ya know.

Best wishes to you for a fast full recovery.

ankitdatashn

Ohh my God, wish you safety man!!, these rides on cliffes are really dangeorous!!, may god keep every one safe and happy, after all life and death are just seconds apart!

hunnyhiteshseth

First of all congrats man!! You really survived something which could have been very fatal.

But can you tell me what exactly were you trying to do by driving at edge of a cliff? Obviously, cliff would collapse if you drive at edge.

Wish you a quick recovery!!

apple

hope you recover well and quickly

Bondings

That's quite a story. It seems you were very lucky you survived and didn't break your spinal cord - although very unlucky to have the cliff collapse just when your jeep was riding on it. I guess that's why they call it the badlands.

What were you thinking when you noticed the jeep was going to fall? Did you try to prevent it somehow? Or was it too quick for thoughts/actions?

driftingfe3s

Wow, I'm glad you got out and was lucky enough to live and tell the tale.

Maybe in your next Jeep you may want to invest in a seat with a better harnessing system to keep you nice and locked down and maybe wear something like a racing helmet the next time you go outing.

ocalhoun

Bondings wrote:

What were you thinking when you noticed the jeep was going to fall? Did you try to prevent it somehow? Or was it too quick for thoughts/actions?

I really don't remember at all... I probably tried something very fast, like cutting the wheel towards good ground and hitting the gas, but that's just based on what I know I would probably do in that situation. (In fact, that would make sense... it might explain why the throttle was stuck open when it hit the bottom.)

I don't remember anything from a few minutes before the accident (around 1:00pm) to midnight that night. Its all a blank, and I'm just going off of the evidence and what other people say happened.

william

Wow. Just, wow, what a story. I'm really glad to see you're alright. Thank goodness it wasn't your spinal cord. I wish you the best in your recovery.

But really, that Jeep is amazing. I've always envied the Wrangler and these days have even been considering getting a Rubicon in a few years. The car is just amazingly sturdy. Looking at the damage, it does look severe, but then again, that was quite a drop, and no stock car could every survive that. Your chances of survival would be very slim if you were driving anything else.

Again, glad you're alright, and of course, what a machine. Just curious, by any chance do you remember what you were thinking when you were falling off?

prithvi

Sorry to hear about what happened............and glad to hear that you came out of it safe.

Avoid driving so close to the edge, especially when the roads are not that developed......you never know what might happen.
More importantly, you are lucky that you were riding a sturdy vehicle..........it was the ruggedness of the jeep that saved you.

Wishing you a quick recovery!

Diablosblizz

Wow! When I read the topic I never thought it was so serious! Best of luck to your recovery!

tidruG

Damn! When I read the "Featured Discussion" notification about this thread, I thought you were either doing something like a stunt or you just got away from a falling cliff-edge like in the movies.

Well!
I hope you get well soon. Keep posting updates. I suppose there's no chance of asking you to post pictures of yourself?

Ghost900

That must have been quite a fall, too bad your jeep got totaled as that has been your explorer vehicle for some time now, I'm just glad you are alive and will get well again.

I guess we won't be seeing you climbing the badlands soon, but I'm sure we will get a few nature scenes before your fully healed.

Best wishes on your healing.

joostvane

Ouch. I'm glad you were lucky and survived. It could have even been alot worse. I hope you have a fast and good recovery!

Sphaerenkern

Kind of blessing in disguise, huh... I hope you get well as soon as possible

LukeakaDanish

That's incredible, your amazingly lucky to come out alive. Have my wishes for the speediest and easiest recovery. How did the people around you handle moving you to the hospital (considering your back!) / getting help in a (presumably) remote place? Helicopter?

BTW: Given your fragile state, I guess we'll be seeing EVEN more frihost posts from you

coolclay

Crazy Dude! That's one heck of a story, very glad you are alright though. Hope you have good insurance! The badlands are a pretty amazing and sometimes dangerous place though aren't they! I just got back from a 4 day adventure in the Mojave desert. It was pretty spectacular. Thank goodness I didn't fall any cliffs, because I was by myself, and certainly didn't have a role cage! I just put some pictures of the trip on my website.

Anyway I'll be sure to keep you in my prayers, enjoy your meds, and get better soon.

justtj

Get well soon buddy...

silverdown

I tell you one thing .... .... I hope it was on accident.. if it was purposely WHY? LOL... Welll i hope EVERYONE was alright.

That is a pretty serious injury, but it is very good news that you'll make a full recovery. It is a shame that the vehicle is more or less destroyed, but a small price to pay for your safety. I am happy to hear that you survived the crash and will be recovering soon. You sure do live an adventurous and dangerous life.

lagoon

Wow what an experience. I hope you get through without too much trouble...

andysart380

rolling over is scary...especially since you did it twice. I Rolled my fathers 05 Tacoma when i slid out on black ice... i didn't have a scratch but the truck was a total loss.... they said it was nothing short of a miracle that i even survived..and the same goes for you.....theres somebody watching out for us I'd say.

mk12327

Extraordinary experience you had there. Despite the injuries, I must agree with the rest that you sure are lucky to survive that great fall. In fact this could have been a promotional testimonial for the jeep company that the jeeps they produce are tough and safe. (Or even road safety advertisement to encourage the use of seat belts? =X) Lol...

Jokes aside, hope you get well soon...

coreymanshack

Yea two years ago me and a friend were goin down the highway at 100 and he decided to turn and not break so we flipped a few times, not a scratch on either of us :O
That really sucks that this happened to you dude, what sucks more is you couldn't get away like me and my friend.

Parkour_Jarrod

MAN you are one lucky person, hey now you got a year to relax as you get better, and try not to get addicted to drugs [quote=ocalhoun]Bad pain? Sometimes, but they prescribed some nice pills. They're addictive, but they make the pain go away nicely.[/quote]

No Illegal drugs aye?, anywho next time you decide to go jeeping i would suggest to go with three jeeps and link them all together then if one falls the other two can take the load an pull it back up

QrafTee

Wow... I hope you make a swift recover.

deanhills

tidruG wrote:

Damn! When I read the "Featured Discussion" notification about this thread, I thought you were either doing something like a stunt or you just got away from a falling cliff-edge like in the movies.

Well!
I hope you get well soon. Keep posting updates. I suppose there's no chance of asking you to post pictures of yourself?

It was the same with me. I did not know what was coming until I started to read the thread and then my eyes must have gone boiiiiing. Ocalhoun was in an accident, of all people .... I learned something as well. We have many off-roads like that in the Middle East, and they are ancient, so good to watch out for those, it can happen to anybody. Awesome that you got out of it, but can imagine you will have to do a double recovery later on. Hope the pills don't become an addiction. That would be the worst to recover from. Hope you can get on track soon! Maybe the military can loan you to the CIA for a while? Would be a waste of your brainpower otherwise

How did the people around you handle moving you to the hospital (considering your back!) / getting help in a (presumably) remote place? Helicopter?

They put me in the back of a grand cherokee and drove about 5 miles to the nearest place that they could give as a landmark for the helicopter. Thankfully, one of the other people there was also in the air force, and they give very good first aid training, including how to safely move people with back injuries, and how to stop bleeding, both of which were needed there.

Animal

Yeah, that looked pretty nasty. I'm sure a bit of T-Cut will fix the jeep right up...

I shouldn't jest really. I've actually had a look at your photo album (via your sigstore link) and it's clear you're pretty proud of your Jeep. I know that in the grand scheme of things it's only a metal box with wheels, but I hope the insurance covers everything for you. I guess you'll be able to look forward to fixing up a new vehicle and truly making it your own.

Your injuries do sound pretty serious, but as other posters have said, it's great that you seem to have such a positive outlook on your recovery. Sorry to hear you bust yourself up, but wish you all the very best for a speedy recovery.

jsarnold

Good luck with your recovery, you lemming.

Helios

Woah, glad to hear you're OK and walking, considering the serious back injury.
That just shows how important it is to wear seat belts, and that accidents can happen to anyone.

I wish you a fast and easy recovery!

Flakky

You΄re very lucky to be alive. Seeing your injuries you have a lot to recover, good luck!!

polly-gone

Wow.... that looks like a bad accident. I hope something like that never happens to me. I would totally freak out.

In the split second that it happened I would probably floor it, hoping to get away from the cliff, then I would start lurching myself forward somehow hoping that me doing that would hold me on the cliff, and finally, I would crap myself.

Hope you get better soon!

-Nick

standready

Oh my gosh Ocalhoun! Bet you would like to "re-do" part of that day so you could steer clear of that loose edge. Best of lucky in speedy recovery.

pashmina

you are seriously lucky. i hope you get well soon

wellerchap

Only just seen this thread
I'm glad you're alive, mate....keep your chin up (English saying!) & stay positive.
Good luck with the recovery & hope all goes well for you.
David

djcaution

ouch! I'm glad you're ok

HandsUp

Woah! how much did that cost you? Ir's the evil menacing jeep

LukeakaDanish

HandsUp wrote:

Woah! how much did that cost you? Ir's the evil menacing jeep

His insurance covered his jeep. I presume he also has some form of health insurance to cover medical treatment costs?

ocalhoun

LukeakaDanish wrote:

HandsUp wrote:

Woah! how much did that cost you? Ir's the evil menacing jeep

His insurance covered his jeep. I presume he also has some form of health insurance to cover medical treatment costs?

Yep. The air force pays everything for medical.

IceCreamTruck

jsarnold wrote:

Good luck with your recovery, you lemming.

I laughed really hard when I read that.. but only because ocalhoun is ok and still with us!

Bad, jsarnold! Very bad!

I truely sympathize with you having a broken back as I have spent 10 and a half weeks in a body cast to recover from a broken lower back. Recovery is slow and you really want to be inactive with that area of your back and it will heal stronger than it was before! the benifit stops there, as you are well aware. I too did not have any spinal cord injury and I know how grateful you are for that small blessing.

Look, you are smart ocalhoun in living life to the fullest while having proper coverage in insurance. You love your jeep and I know that you had intended on returning, but you almost lost me at "Bad Lands" ... haha! At least you had friends along!

I'm glad you are still with us to tell the tail! I hope to see more interesting topics from you...um, next year! Take care, Buddy, and take it easy! Please.

nivinjoy

Sorry to hear about what had happened to you..!! Wish you a speedy recovery..!! Hope you are relieved of all pains as of now...??

And this may be absurd to ask..even then i am asking..!! How is the jeep now...???

shkumbin

Yeah thats amazing that you are still alive, and I saw the pictures the car was ******, I don't know how you survived but thank God you survived

nivinjoy

shkumbin wrote:

Yeah thats amazing that you are still alive,
I don't know how you survived but thank God you survived

Oops...!! Hey dude be please be poilte and kind to him at his stage of mishap..!!

saratdear

A year is a kind of a long time, but we are all by your side. Wish you a speedy recovery ocalhorn.

jmlworld

That's damn weird. When I look at the pictures and see the height of the cliff and the damage on the car I can say it was very dangerous accident which could claim your life, but, thanks to God, you are still alive and you are quite fine.

Probably you are the luckiest FriHoster alive, huh?

ocalhoun

jmlworld wrote:

That's damn weird. When I look at the pictures and see the height of the cliff and the damage on the car I can say it was very dangerous accident which could claim your life, but, thanks to God, you are still alive and you are quite fine.

Probably you are the luckiest FriHoster alive, huh?

Well, some luck, but also a lot of preparedness, having roll bars, wearing a seat belt, and having other people out there with me.

pll

Aww, I hope your recovery will be fast and easy for you!
Believing the images, it could have been more serious Your lucky!!

Well, Now we need to see the positive point of the thing ; you'll get a new Jeep

MeddlingMonk

That's some story, Ocalhoun. I'm sorry to hear of your injuries and hope that you recover quickly. You must really appreciate that jeep now... no doubt it played a big part in saving your life.

hypnotize191

Oh wow, that must have sucked. Thank god everything turned out ok and no one was injured =P.

Rdogg112

Awesome , thats 1337

georgeodowd

Wow, that's quite an accident. Glad to hear the insurance will pay to replace the Jeep! Do you know if they are going to raise your premiums though?

Speedy recovery!

g7clan

Your very lucky, must be scary... never been in anceident.

hope the pain isnt too bad for you and hope you recover okay!

ocalhoun

georgeodowd wrote:

Do you know if they are going to raise your premiums though?

They'd better not: I wasn't at fault in this accident; it was judged to be a no-fault accident.

Andrew426

Do you have the option of buying the jeep back from the insurance company? If its been written off by them, it will probably never see the road again, but with a bit of work (beef up the cage, lokkers and a higher lift) it could make an awesome dedicated off roader.

coreymanshack

ocalhoun wrote:

georgeodowd wrote:

Do you know if they are going to raise your premiums though?

They'd better not: I wasn't at fault in this accident; it was judged to be a no-fault accident.

That would suck really bad, I mean what the heck, you couldn't control the land just "falling"...

missdixy

Holy crap, I'm glad you made it out alive to tell this tale!

ProfessorY91

You've definitely helped me on this forum on more than one occasion. Wishing you a speedy recovery!

That aside, holy crap, what an accident. I wouldn't however give credit to the "legendary toughness of a jeep" for your survival, as Jeeps (regardless of whether or not they have ground collapsing underneath them) are known for rolling over. I suppose that any car would have fallen up the cliff, but the actual rollover probably could have been prevented.

Ah well, I expect you're tired of reposting the facts, so take care!

Y

Crazy_Canuck

Sorry this happened to you. After seeing pictures of the jeep, it's amazing you walked away. It will be a great story to tell though and you'll have visual proof! Dang cliff.

ocalhoun

ProfessorY91 wrote:

You've definitely helped me on this forum on more than one occasion. Wishing you a speedy recovery!

That aside, holy crap, what an accident. I wouldn't however give credit to the "legendary toughness of a jeep" for your survival, as Jeeps (regardless of whether or not they have ground collapsing underneath them) are known for rolling over. I suppose that any car would have fallen up the cliff, but the actual rollover probably could have been prevented.

Ah well, I expect you're tired of reposting the facts, so take care!

Y

Any vehicle that could get to where I was would have to have high ground clearance, and be narrow... This combination of traits means that any vehicle that can get there would have to have a high center of gravity... relatively speaking. Jeeps are actually quite rollover-resistant (as SUV's go, anyway, it is tall, but most of the heavy weight is as low as possible, while the uppermost parts are very light, which might by why it ended up right-side up after the roll), especially in stock form like mine. I know it could handle a 30 degree side slope, and possibly more without rolling, but when half of the ground gives way, it makes a 90 degree side slope making avoiding a roll impossible.

Andrew426 wrote:

Do you have the option of buying the jeep back from the insurance company? If its been written off by them, it will probably never see the road again, but with a bit of work (beef up the cage, lokkers and a higher lift) it could make an awesome dedicated off roader.

I could buy it back from them, but the price was $4000. (This particular vehicle has great junkyard value because of all the people looking for parts for it.) Anyway, I already have a project truck: a '67 ford bronco. Also, I know a place where I could buy a jeep in better condition for only $1200

j_f_k

i suppose badlands is a really appropriate name here. Just as well it was only about 20 feet or so and that you were in something solid and not a convertible...

hope you recover well. You make me think twice about driving on roads with that sort of cliffside so close to the edge.

sw0277

Wow that's pretty serious man! Is that the first time you wrecked like that? Lucky you didn't get hurt worse than that, and you got pretty messed up!

flyfamilyguy

I'm confused, and a bit suspicious. The vehicle shown in the first couple of pics, (with all the red lines) is not the vehicle with all the damage.
Huh?

truespeed

flyfamilyguy wrote:

I'm confused, and a bit suspicious. The vehicle shown in the first couple of pics, (with all the red lines) is not the vehicle with all the damage.
Huh?

The vehicle in the first few pictures is a different vehicle,if you look at the cliff,its a shot of the cliff edge after the event.

PS: Good luck on your recovery ocalhoun.
PPS: Frihost should take advantage of your incapacity and make you moderator,to give you something to do while your laid up.

chasbeen

It's amazing you have before and after pictures. Having survived a head on collision myself last year (I don't remember mine though so cannot go into detail like you!) It makes you realize how fragile we all are.
Glad alls well though........

kody

Holy Crap!!!

georgeodowd

coreymanshack wrote:

ocalhoun wrote:

georgeodowd wrote:

Do you know if they are going to raise your premiums though?

They'd better not: I wasn't at fault in this accident; it was judged to be a no-fault accident.

That would suck really bad, I mean what the heck, you couldn't control the land just "falling"...

Yeah. I'm just thinking how insurance companies work... they look for any opportunity to prove you were engaging in a 'dangerous activity' to nail you. I don't know where off-roading falls in the list, but I sure don't tell my health insurance that I ride and train horses

samrobson1

Damn lucky it wasn't more serious, thats a nasty fall.

Sorry if it sounds insensitive but long live the jeep! haha still able to move under it's own power. Thats awesome

paul_indo

Wow, that's a pretty smashed up jeep. Glad to here you will fully recover.

First off let me start by saying your a crazy mofo and wish i could have been there with you. Also if you wern't in a jeep you probably would have had to have been cut out of the car and you may not be here right now. If your spinal cord was some how broken you wouldn't have survived. If you had your neck brake you would have had serious problems with getting out. Moving your neck could have also killed you so don't ever do it again. Your best bet is calling 911 and not moving at all. What ever you do and how ever you are sitting don't move or let anyone move you unless you are in worse danger then that (such as car is under water or on fire... then get the hell out) But you are pretty lucky i must say. Good luck and i wish you a speedy recovery

LumberJack

Wow, I am glad you made it out alive. I can't believe that you got out of that car. It looks like it landed on the drivers side. I wish you a speedy recovery. I hope the doctors are great, and they give you some good drugs

atul2242

Best of luck.
Do your excersizes or whatever movement recommended by the physio.
Hope to see you running around soon.
Just a Q - why was someone shooting before u feel off ???

penwrite05

your pictures are scaring me out of my wits. it just reminded me of what happened to my father's driver, my older brother, his wife and newborn kid. The driver was sent to pick ip my brother and his family for my Father's birthday, that was in July 2001. There was a heavy rain. The driver was new, and it was his 2nd time in my brother's place. they got on the car, as he was backing up, it was zero visibility and all, my brother and sister inlaw were screaming like hell, the driver didnt know that those tall grasses actually covers a 40 ft cliff. Luckily, nobody got hurt. My brother got few bruises and my sister inlaw as well. Miraculously the baby was unhurt. sure the stupid driver got some bruises. it was all over the news in the Philippines that time. just thought i'd share it.

holy crap. That's amazing. Yay for tough built jeeps! I've got a 20 year old laredo that I want to roll on purpose. It's a heap. seriously. 12 to the gallon, no a/c, no heat, bald tires, shotty suspension, fluffy brakes.

If you had your neck brake you would have had serious problems with getting out. Moving your neck could have also killed you so don't ever do it again. Your best bet is calling 911 and not moving at all. What ever you do and how ever you are sitting don't move or let anyone move you unless you are in worse danger then that (such as car is under water or on fire... then get the hell out)

True, but when you call 911, they will (and did) ask "where are you?" The best answer we could give was "somewhere in Farmingdale", which is around a 20 square mile area. So, I had to be driven to a landmark that the helicopter could find.

atul2242 wrote:

Just a Q - why was someone shooting before u feel off ???

That was a different jeep in the photos of the cliff. I rolled the black one that you see all smashed up.

invizibility

You must be a saint to survive that with such minor injuries. Thats a sweet jeep dude . Best of luck for your recovery.

By the way which exact model is that? I'd love to get me one of those not to jump it off a cliff .

I

psycosquirrel

inviz - that is a Jeep Wrangler, 1996-2006 model. I'm sure Ocal has said that 1000 times by now.

Glad to hear you're okay, Ocalhoun. I had a near brush with death in a car recently too... My brother managed to vault his BMW 325IS off a curb, over a guardrail, through a fence, and around a tree. The road had been elevated around the curve we flew off of, so the car impacted the tree about 10 feet off of the ground, before falling down on the side of the car. The police estimated our speed on impact to be at least 50mph.

The car impacted the tree on the drivers side, and I managed to walk away unharmed, other than a laceration on my left leg from the transmission bashing into it. Miraculously, my brother was okay, with only minor injuries. The roof of the car caved on his side, but he was short enough to just get nudged down a few inches. His legs were pinned, because the drivers-side wheel came into the area for his legs.

The paramedics thought we flipped it, and did not believe that I walked away from the wreck until I walked in front of their headlights and they saw that I was completely covered in glass dust. My brother (obviously) got a ride to the hospital on the ambulance, and I followed in my friend's car.

The owners of the yard we crashed in found glass shards on their driveway, about 40 feet away, and chunks of plastic and glass all over the yard inbetween. The tree was completely stripped of branches on the side we hit.

I didn't get any pictures of the car, but I got one of my brother on the stretcher in the ER:

He's such a noob.

Jinx

Ocalhoun - Glad to hear you walked away with fixable injuries, that looked like a pretty rough ride. Having been in a couple of bad bangups myself it always amazes me what a person can survive. Thank goodness it was a Jeep! One more argument I can use for why we ought to get one (my hubby wants a Ford F-150, but I'd much rather have a Jeep - and considering how danger prone I am a roll cage is sure to be an argument winner
I hope your recovery is going smoothly and your insurance company isn't stalling too badly on getting you the money for a new Jeep

erlendhg

That is really intense. First of all thank you for sharing the story.
I hope you will recover soon. Good luck with being better

seannie

OUCH! That must've hurt so badly. But it's a miracle that you're still alive now and that all that matters. I hope you'll recover soon and kids, wear your seat belts next time when you drive!

carlospro7

At first I thought that it doesn't look that high, but I always say that until I get to the top. I can't image being in that car. Thanks for sharing your story. I hope your recovery is going well. Now I know Jeeps are strong cars.

James007

Wow.

I hope you make a full recovery. Hang in there mate.

ankitdatashn

Oh God, you have escaped a great disaster. Though the cliff doesn't look so deep but still life is life, it doesnt matter the depth of the cliff if there is a situation of life and death.

Still I wish you soon recovery, have rest there...!!

wh0lve

Oh my god. You are so lucky to be alive . Well shit happens. I wish you a good recovery.
I think i'll stay away from ledges for a while

Greatings, Wh0lve

deathwarriors

Hello,

M8 what a fall!
you must have been scared when it happened (at least i would be)
Get better soon and i hope this wont happen again

TurtleShell

Dude, glad you're ok!

soljarag

whoa, thats really crazy... at least you survived...

Now you have an interesting story to tell at parties

Kashinilaya

You are a lucky person! It's weird that people usually forget the very moment of a serious accident. That's probably some kind of protection for the mind. It was probably very stressfull! You certainly had some thought like "am I going to get out of the Jeep alive?"

I hope you get well soon! The least I can say is that we are also lucky we didn't loose one of our best photografers in frihost.

Good luck in your recovery!

tony

WOW! Those are some craaazy photos. Best wishes for your speedy recovery!

wellerchap

So, what's the latest update then mate?
How are you coping, and how's the healing process coming along?

ocalhoun

wellerchap wrote:

So, what's the latest update then mate?
How are you coping, and how's the healing process coming along?

Already healing up well, I'm going back on light-duty work in a couple weeks now.

nigam

ohhh...im pretty sure you will be having a full speedy recovery.....think positive..

valadez

Wow, sounds like an insane experience.
Glad that you are recovering well.

professour_x

hey man hope your doing ok

guissmo

Wow. That's serious. What happened? Why did you fall off the cliff?

'Tis a good thing you wore your safety gear. Who knows what might have happened if you forgot to put on your seatbelt or something. Scary shiz, man.

Good luck on your recovery and see you in Frihost.

Golden123

Iv Tryed tha befor.. buh in a place called eston hills, woo man it was bad:P i broke my coller bone and snaped my elbow

shilixiang

poor guy, but you are still lucky, the car can be reparied.

chezca

ocalhoun wrote:

Last Sunday, I dropped my jeep off a cliff with me inside!
Here's the story of how it happened:

Me and two other jeepers were enjoying a trip around the Farmingdale area near the badlands, but part of a cliff collapsed under my jeep.

First, here's the starting point. The red area is the part of the cliff that collapsed under me. I think the close side tires were barely within this area, but that caused the jeep to start rolling that direction, and there was nothing to stop it:

The next three pictures show just how big a fall that was:

After rolling and landing right side up, the throttle was damaged and stuck wide open, making the jeep take off again. It started to climb the cliff again, but rolled over, which stopped it. This picture shows the path of my jeep in red:

I was semi-conscious, but with some help, I climbed out of the jeep myself, and walked over to the other jeep for the trip out. Where it finally came to a stop:

Thanks to the legendary toughness of the jeep, I survived, and, amazingly, the truck can actually still move under its own power. The jeep will be a total loss, but insurance will pay off the loan and I'll get a new one.

I got a broken back, two broken ribs, and a gash on the head, but I lived thanks to the seat belt, the roll bars, and the others out there with me. I should make a full recovery within a year.

Wow its scary , glad to hear that you're alright.
I wish you a full recovery.

ocalhoun

chezca wrote:

why not take mountain climbing instead..or trail biking

I already do some mountain climbing... And wouldn't trail biking be even more dangerous?

Heretic45

You are a lucky person! A lot worse things could of happened!

simplyhitcounters

Wow, that's dangerous, lucky that you survived.

wanshishusheng

so dangerous it is，but the cliff is not so high，the jeep was damaged so terriblly
be careful in your trip from now on

misha9090

I really glad that you ok but you have broken back?

FunDa

It's been a long time.

Everything's back to normal huh ?

U all right now ?

ocalhoun

FunDa wrote:

It's been a long time.

Everything's back to normal huh ?

U all right now ?

It should be a year or so before I'm completely back to 100%, but I am back to normal now.

hunnyhiteshseth

Again few more months have passed, I hope now you are nearly 100% normal?

ocalhoun

hunnyhiteshseth wrote:

Again few more months have passed, I hope now you are nearly 100% normal?

Almost... almost.

deanhills

ocalhoun wrote:

hunnyhiteshseth wrote:

Again few more months have passed, I hope now you are nearly 100% normal?

Almost... almost.

Totally amazing. Must be determination for you. Think you mentioned your back was broken? How did you manage to get "normal" in less than a year? How did you deal with the pain and are you completely pain free now?

standready

[quote="ocalhoun] but I am back to normal now.[/quote]
lol, really? You better define normal for us!
Glad to hear you are getting better.

ocalhoun

standready wrote:

You better define normal for us!

... Can sort of keep up with normal exercise, and only hurts occasionally.

As for how I deal with pain, I've gone over that before... It's just another sensation. Why does pain have to be unpleasant? Why should one particular signal from the nerves be bad and another one good?

hunnyhiteshseth

ocalhoun wrote:

Why should one particular signal from the nerves be bad and another one good?

Because thats how nature has build us.

ocalhoun

hunnyhiteshseth wrote:

ocalhoun wrote:

Why should one particular signal from the nerves be bad and another one good?

Because thats how nature has build us.

While I respect nature, I do not sanctify it; it is not perfect... it can be improved upon.

hunnyhiteshseth

ocalhoun wrote:

hunnyhiteshseth wrote:

ocalhoun wrote:

Why should one particular signal from the nerves be bad and another one good?

Because thats how nature has build us.

While I respect nature, I do not sanctify it; it is not perfect... it can be improved upon.

True and thats what natural selection is. If you improve upon it and survive better, you would have converted pain into one of another sensation!

deanhills

hunnyhiteshseth wrote:

True and thats what natural selection is. If you improve upon it and survive better, you would have converted pain into one of another sensation!

I'm envious. This has to be the single most attribute to make a person into something of a super human. As it must be human to feel pain.

I'd be interested to know how one can create pleasure from pain. What mental process would one have to follow to make it into something different that it is?

Parkour_Jarrod

deanhills wrote:

hunnyhiteshseth wrote:

True and thats what natural selection is. If you improve upon it and survive better, you would have converted pain into one of another sensation!

I'm envious. This has to be the single most attribute to make a person into something of a super human. As it must be human to feel pain.

I'd be interested to know how one can create pleasure from pain. What mental process would one have to follow to make it into something different that it is?

Meditation, you need to stop and clear everything form your mind, after time you can feel each thing, you can control your heart beat, breathing, everything.

With meditation, I can change pain to pleasure and slow my heartbeat to 10BPM, i can literally make people think im dead.

Took me a few years but I can do it.

ocalhoun

deanhills wrote:

I'd be interested to know how one can create pleasure from pain. What mental process would one have to follow to make it into something different that it is?

While meditation (the kind I use is also a form of self-hypnosis) helps, it still does take a mental effort to change it.
It also helps to see yourself as completely distinct from your body, as I do... The body sends you messages of pain, but you can interpret those messages any way you want.

There is, however, one kind of pain it doesn't work for on me, at least not yet. A headache. Changing the pain to a different sensation requires mental effort... with a headache, that mental effort makes the pain worse, and the pain is always one step ahead. Also, if I have to keep it up for a long time, the mental stress can cause a headache, which is problematic.

The doctors gave me some nice pain pills, but because of this, I only used them as headache pills... which they worked very nicely as. ^.^

deanhills

ocalhoun wrote:

The doctors gave me some nice pain pills, but because of this, I only used them as headache pills... which they worked very nicely as. ^.^

That's pretty amazing, using real pain pills for headaches.

ankitdatashn

Oh this thread is still for games, saw after a long time. Hope the thread starter is doing great!!

ichmagtoastbrot

oh, thats no so funny isnt it did the insurance company pay the loan???

You should contact your local council to see if they can put up a fence to stop other people from falling the same way.

I sincerely hope you recover from your injuries quickly and without any lasting effects, I have minor back pain from a staph infection i had in my spine ages ago

PokerHeaven231

Well, Kudos for you bro. I probably wouldent of gotten out of that jeep. I would of like made myself belived I couldent move out of shock and fear or something. Anyway, Thats one tough jeep, and glad to hear your alright, Ouch about those injurys though. Hope you get better!

william

Hopefully you're doing a lot better now. I always refer to this thread when touting a Jeep's durability. By the way, have you gone back into off roading? I noticed you bought an Avalanche but said it wouldn't see heavy off road use. Any plans of going back into it?

deanhills

william wrote:

Hopefully you're doing a lot better now. I always refer to this thread when touting a Jeep's durability. By the way, have you gone back into off roading? I noticed you bought an Avalanche but said it wouldn't see heavy off road use. Any plans of going back into it?

Right, I'm curious too, as I seem to remember Ocalhoun was thinking about taking a real monster truck with huge wheels to the UK. But I'm quite curious about whether Ocalhoun is back to offroading expeditions again.

I have taken it off road (though it is currently out-of-action awaiting a front axle replacement).
It is a very capable and durable truck... but it is NOT beautiful. ^.^

deanhills

ocalhoun wrote:

deanhills wrote:

It's a real beauty:

I have taken it off road (though it is currently out-of-action awaiting a front axle replacement).
It is a very capable and durable truck... but it is NOT beautiful. ^.^

I sometimes find that something, or even a person can look so ugly that it actually looks beautiful of ugliness. It definitely has some character though, along Herbie the Volkswagen lines Perhaps it is something that can even grow into an animated series? Like it has a special story to tell?

ocalhoun

deanhills wrote:

It definitely has some character though, along Herbie the Volkswagen lines

Oh, it's got lots of character... the kind of character that means it likes to have tires re-filled weekly, and has a very specific start-up sequence that must be followed.
(I'll explain that start up sequence, so you can understand...)
-Open hood (undoing latches on both sides first)
-Flip battery disconnect switch to on
-Check for (and refill) fluids of all kinds that inevitably leaked out while parked
-Close hood (and fasten latches)
-Get in the driver's seat
-Put the key in the ignition on the dash... not the one on the steering column
-Turn the key to run for a few seconds to let the fuel pump get started
-Turn the key to start for just a tiny moment, then back to run
-Wait 5 seconds
-Turn key to start again and keep it there
-After a couple seconds start pumping the gas pedal a little
-When it roars to life, turn the key back to run
-Shift the transmission through all the gears several times to 'warm it up'
-Test out brakes and steering before moving much
-done

To do it in any other way invites disaster.
Yes, it has perhaps too much 'character', but it makes up for that by making driving over boulders look easy.

deanhills

Wow! You have to be very closely connected with the truck, to have worked out all of the exact sequences to get it started along the lines of looong and painful experience. I was waiting for the push part, but looks as though you got past that one. Do you service the truck yourself as well? As I can imagine it would have to be a tremendous challenge for the garage to sort it out, they in all probability would only be able to muck all the steps up?

Btw is your Jeep still alive after the accident?

ocalhoun

deanhills wrote:

Do you service the truck yourself as well? As I can imagine it would have to be a tremendous challenge for the garage to sort it out, they in all probability would only be able to muck all the steps up?

I do all the service and 90% of the repairs and upgrades myself...
As for service, I have to be able to, because it needs a partial 'service' every week or so.
And since I'm not a millionaire, I wouldn't be able to afford to pay someone else to do all the work it needs.

Quote:

Btw is your Jeep still alive after the accident?

After the accident, they had to put transmission oil in it (it had leaked out because the truck was sideways for a day or so), and bend back a fender off of the tire, but after that, they drove it home for me.
Jeeps are tough!

Jamestf347

That sounds like it hurts, and by the look of the jeep. OUCH! how is your recovery coming along?

deanhills

ocalhoun wrote:

After the accident, they had to put transmission oil in it (it had leaked out because the truck was sideways for a day or so), and bend back a fender off of the tire, but after that, they drove it home for me.
Jeeps are tough!

Good to remember, also that you managed to survive a really bad accident. Good that you were not in our monster truck at the time ....

ocalhoun

deanhills wrote:

ocalhoun wrote:

After the accident, they had to put transmission oil in it (it had leaked out because the truck was sideways for a day or so), and bend back a fender off of the tire, but after that, they drove it home for me.
Jeeps are tough!

Good to remember, also that you managed to survive a really bad accident. Good that you were not in our monster truck at the time ....

The monster truck would be better! It has a roll cage (not a roll bar), and has a 5 point harness instead of a normal seat belt. In that truck, I probably wouldn't have been injured as badly.

deanhills

ocalhoun wrote:

deanhills wrote:

ocalhoun wrote:

After the accident, they had to put transmission oil in it (it had leaked out because the truck was sideways for a day or so), and bend back a fender off of the tire, but after that, they drove it home for me.
Jeeps are tough!

Good to remember, also that you managed to survive a really bad accident. Good that you were not in our monster truck at the time ....

The monster truck would be better! It has a roll cage (not a roll bar), and has a 5 point harness instead of a normal seat belt. In that truck, I probably wouldn't have been injured as badly.

Sounds like there is not a duplicate of monster truck anywhere in the world, it is its "own truck"! You could make an animated series about it and won't need to change much in its outline. It has distinct possibilities for loads of entertainment for a comedy series too.